1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of network services, and more particularly to a method and system for secure network service to an information handling system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Improvements in network communication speed and capacity for communicating information between information handling systems have resulted in a greater use of network-based services provided for and through information handling systems. One goal of information handling system manufacturers, network access providers and network content providers is to deploy network-based services that have automated functions with minimal disruption experienced by information handling system users. For instance, a service installed at manufacture of the information handling system is able to access information associated with the information handling system and its purchaser either from local storage of the information handling system or from stored information at the manufacturer. Once a service is installed on an information handling system, network locations, such as Web sites, contact and validate the presence of the service to download information related to the information handling system. One specific use for a service is to update information handling systems with support and bug fixes installed automatically, such as updated software and firmware for components, including updated component drivers. Service are provided through a variety of software architectures, such as ActiveX objects and the Micorsoft .NET architecture.
One difficulty with automated services provided through networks is that confidential information becomes accessible to any Web site able to validate the presence of a service on an information handling system, thus presenting privacy and security issues. Where a service downloads and installs programs to an information handling system, such as with maintenance programs, a potential exists for installation of malicious programs that illicitly obtain confidential information or otherwise perform unauthorized functions on the information handling system, such as viruses or programs that launch malicious attacks. The effectiveness of network-based services is dramatically decreased where users of information handling systems hesitate to trust the confidentiality and security of the services.